Capital of Zimbabwe

The capital of Zimbabwe is Harare which is the largest and is the most populous city in Zimbabwe with a population of an estimated 3 million in its metropolitan area in 2019 situated in the Mashonaland in northeastern Zimbabwe. It lies on a plateau with an elevation of 4865 feet above sea level. The city was founded by the Pioneer Column which is a small military force of the British South Africa Country in 1890 and was then named Fort Salisbury. It was renamed Harare on 18 April 1982. 

The growing economy was plagued in the early twenty-first century due to the political and economic crisis and presidential elections of 2002 and 2005. The hygiene and sanitation, rubbish collection, and road repairs worsened and by 2009, Harare was voted as the most difficult place to live in according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s livability poll. One of the biggest demonstrations in the history of Zimbabwe has taken place in November 2017 which led to the resignation of the president of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe who was then 93 years old.

History Of Zimbabwe

The city was originally founded by Cecil Rhodes, who was a British politician who served as a Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896. Rather than calling it a city, it can be called more as a fort “The Pioneer Column” and was named city Fort Salisbury. The fort was however declared a municipality in the year 1897 and then changed to a city in the year 1935. The exact growth and development of the city started after World War II and Salibury expanded rapidly. During this period not only did the city but its designation also boosted the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, ushering the wave of investment, development, and liberalism. 

The city got its complete independence in the year 1980, thus changing its name to Harare on 18 April 1982, which was the second anniversary of Zimbabwe’s Independence Day. Besides this, the prosperity of the place also boomed under the influence of independence. Additionally, under the same optimism, things also improved in the aspect of investment. Schools, colleges, hospitals, and welfare organizations started to grow thus exemplifying the confidence of the middle-class society. The city also rose in the terms of architecture and the New Reserve bank Tower is one of the major attractions and evidence of Harare’s history. 

Although, by the year 1992, Harare started facing a few economic difficulties, and between the years 1999–2008 there was major inflation thus the city got adversely affected by the political and economic crisis, which eventually plagued the whole of Zimbabwe. In the year 2006 the city was described as a “sunshine city-turned-sewage farm” in an editorial in a very big newspaper, simultaneously, was considered the toughest city to live in, in the year 2009. 

Geography of Harare

The city of Harare is situated on the parts of the high elevated plateau at an elevation of 1,483 meters (4,865 feet). Harare is one of the most beautiful cities in Zimbabwe and is often referred to as the garden of sunshine due to the presence of numerous parks and many outdoor amenities. Furthermore, the city has a cooler and drier subtropical climate due to its high altitude position. Harare mainly has three-season a wet and warm summer, which prevails from November to March/April, a cool and dry winter which prevails from May to August, and a warm to the hot, dry season which prevails from September/October. 

The good climatic conditions support natural vegetation thus making Harare the leading economic place in Zimbabwe and an international trade center for tobacco, maize, cotton, and citrus fruits. Talking about the language of people over 90% of the population of Harare are Shona speaking people of African descent. Harare is also home to Ndebele, Kalanga, and White Zimbabweans people.

Tourism and Culture in Harare

The capital city of Zimbabwe is famous for its tourist attraction and culture. It has a large number of gardens, museums, lakes, etc. which attract tourists from all over the world. There are numerous ecstatic places where people plan can their trips and a few of them include, Heros Acre, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Epworth, Zimbabwe Museum of Human Sciences, Chapungu Sculpture Park, National Botanical Gardens, and many more.